Machine Gun Kelly Lights Up Atlantic City
Colson Baker, known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly (MGK for short), has had such a successful career so far. Over the past 10 years, concert tickets for MGK have been in high demand. In 2022, the mayor of Cleveland even set a day in honor of him called MGK Day on August 13th. Since 2017, the band Machine Gun Kelly consisted of Colson Baker; Baze, who does bass and keyboards; Slimxx, who does keyboards and backing vocals; and Rook, who plays drums. Since then, they have added two fantastic members, Jus and Sophie, who crush it on guitar.
They only played a small number of shows in the US this September, including our show on September 9th at Etess Arena at Hard Rock Live in Atlantic City, NJ. These concerts were more intimate than his recent tours, all in casino arena facilities. These shows were advertised less than a full tour, but MGK still managed to fill the entire arena.
Before the show, I looked around my house for an MGK fitted hat and was surprised I didn’t have one. I was so happy when I went to the merch table and saw that he had an fitted snapback with XX on it, which I knew I had to get. XX in the MGK community means that everyone stands together. The line to get in the concert was long as fans patiently awaited entrance in their MGK merch. The merch line was almost as long as the line to get into the venue. The media bracelet for the night was in a very on-brand font for MGK and even said no flash backs, which was unique. I also saw a lot of fans in his 27 Club shirt from his 27 Club Coffee shop in Cleveland.
Bobby Booshay came out to open for MGK and played a mix of many different songs to get the crowd excited. This was great for fans to come in and fill the arena before MGK got on stage. He played a lot of favorites from both the rock and rap genres, which was perfect for this show. He hyped up the crowd, asking how they felt and if they were excited for MGK. He had great visuals on the screens to the left and right of him throughout his set. Before MGK even came out on stage for the first song, the crowd went absolutely insane.
He opened the show with "LONG TIME COMING" off his Binge album and his newest release, "Pressure." I’ve been singing this since it came out on May 30th, and it was my most anticipated song of the night. After that, he played a personal favorite of mine and many other fans "FLOOR 13." This is off his Hotel Diablo album, and his energy during this song is unmatched. He played the first three songs of his mainstream sellout album in order, which were "born with horns," "god save me," and "maybe." This was awesome as a listener who likes to listen to the album in order how it was intended. He also played a lot more songs from all of his albums.
He played a total of 30 songs spanning across all of his albums. He also brought some new, never-before-made merchandise to these special shows. There was a grey short-sleeved shirt with Machine Gun Kelly on the front and Sellout on the back. It had flames and made him look like an alien with lasers coming out of his eyes. He also had another neutral-colored shirt that said bad hair day with his hair spiked and read Machine Gun Kelly World Tour 2023 on the back. The last item I got was a long-sleeved shirt with the entire band! It was so cool that he included the rest of the band on the shirt.
MGK did a great job mixing his rock and rap styles and chose many songs for the setlist that satisfied both types of fans. He brings energy as a frontman I have never seen from another artist. He always takes time to address the crowd during his show, and after, he even makes his way off the stage to give hi-fives to fans, sign autographs, and talk to them. He doesn’t only sing but also plays guitar while singing, which is impressive. He even makes jokes throughout the set, which always have his fans laughing. He also includes his younger fans and makes special memories for them that will last a lifetime. The set was beautiful and had unique flowers and lights.
Before playing "bloody valentine," he said this song is about being a cat dad. The crowd sang so loud he started laughing and couldn’t sing. During the song "I Think I'm OKAY" he said “no cleep” instead of “no sleep,” and he and his fans laughed again. He had a large screen behind him, creating an incredible visual experience. There were also two large screens on either side of the stage. He had a tall microphone with a hand to hold it; this time, it was painted red, which is different from the past.
During the song "LOCO," he wore a crown while rapping it, which was a unique prop. I first heard this song back at EST in 2018 at an after-party, and it is so special to see it years later live in concert. While singing "sid & nancy," he started to drink and then spilled it all over himself. MGK said if we make it through a tour of him wearing 6X white tees, he’ll play a tour where he does all of his old songs. He joked around and said only if we could survive a 6X white tee tour. He said that the song why are you here was put into the setlist due to fan demand on Twitter. Once he said he was playing it, fans went crazy. The song finally made it onto the mainstream sellout (life in pink deluxe) album.
Alpha Omega was the first song I heard from MGK in my friend’s car in 2015; I will never forget that moment. It was off his General Admission (deluxe) album, and from there, I was hooked. I listened to his entire discography after that and haven’t stopped since. I was so happy that he included such an older song in his setlist for the night.
He said there was always a small part of him that said he wished he lived on the East Coast. He used a funny accent and said we make good food and are nice to him. He joked about how long Monopoly takes and that it is based here. He joked about the Atlantic City Boardwalk, and the crowd laughed. MGK and Slim’s friendship was very apparent while they were rapping together. They were seen doing a handshake and singing to each other during his song Till I Die. This was a special moment because, in the song, he says, “On 128th, me and Slim, doe,” It was another song on his General Admission (Deluxe) album.
Another memorable moment during the show was when Rook got a microphone, a rare occurrence at a show. He took the time to yell into the microphone while holding up his drumsticks and water. MGK said that it was pretty awesome and he did a good job. When MGK played the song "Papercuts," there was a fiery planet animation behind him, which made for an excellent backdrop. He told each side of the crowd, including the back, to sing at different times, which was very enjoyable to be included in his singing. While this song was released in August 2021, he added a particular verse during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. This new verse was included in the new mainstream sellout album in 2022 and was titled papercuts- album edit.
There were a lot of memorable moments throughout the performance that made it unique. No matter what genre or songs MGK performs, he always makes it unique. He played rock paper scissors with a fan, spilled water down himself, and threw a microphone higher than I have ever seen. It wasn’t enough to catch it once he continued to do it and amaze the crowd with his coordination.
As a long-time listener and attendee of his concerts, this was by far my favorite performance. It wasn’t a concert as part of an extensive tour to celebrate a specific album. Instead, he had a massive lineup of 30 songs spanning his entire career. He combined lasers, fog, fire, and on-stage fireworks for an incredible view and listening experience.
The last song he played was "twin flame," which is very personal to MGK. A lot of fans could relate to this song as well. Sadly, the white lights bothered him during this song, but he communicated it so that they fixed it, and then he moved on with the show. Ending the set with such a particular song was a great idea. They even threw the flowers to the fans at the show's end.
After the show, I got to do a meet and greet with MGK’s drummer and best friend, Rook. Overall, it was a special night I will never forget. I can’t wait to go to one of his shows again. He has two special dates coming up that he will be performing. November 2nd at the Movistar Arena in Villa Crespo and November 4th at Allianz Parque in São Paulo. You can buy tickets for these shows here!
